A century and more ago, hatred of Jews was commonplace in America, before it gradually faded as people became more tolerant. But now, antisemitism is having something of a comeback, especially on our college campuses.
In today’s Martin Center article, Ezra Meyer writes about the “Grotesque Antisemitism at George Washington University.”
Meyer writes, “On October 11, a number of students gathered outside the George Washington University’s Jewish student center in protest of a routine event held by the student group GW for Israel. The event, focused on Israeli innovation and start-ups, was not expected to elicit controversy, let alone national media attention. The protest featured the typical (and falsely predicated) slogans often chanted by anti-Israel groups: ‘war criminals,’ ‘ethnic-cleansers,’ and ‘child murderers.’ But the protesters also engaged in a chant that had not previously been heard on the George Washington University campus: ‘There is only one solution, Intifada revolution!’”
The Left needs objects to hate, and, these days, Israel is one of the targets. That has fueled harassment of Jewish students, but most universities aren’t much concerned about that. (On the other hand, they go nuts over obvious racial hoaxes.)
Meyer is a senior at George Washington and has first-hand experience with the situation on campus. He continues, “The steadily increasing prevalence of antisemitism on campuses across the country has left Jewish college students unsettled, worried, and often fearful. In my three and a half years in school thus far, incidents of antisemitism have become routine and have left Jewish students on my campus wondering not if a subsequent incident will occur but when. These incidents are sometimes (subtly) manifested as criticism of Israel, Israel’s existence, or Israeli policy, but they can also be overt, heinous acts of hate.”
I thought that all the “diversity” on American campuses was supposed to bring people together, teaching them to respect difference. That doesn’t appear to be the case.
Meyer concludes, “Academia is supposed to provide education and optimism for the future. Unfortunately, today’s American colleges often contribute to our societal problems rather than constructively addressing them. Antisemitism is an epidemic in our society, and the root of the issue can be found amongst our nation’s youth at some of our nation’s most revered institutions.”